The City Council is the legislative branch of our local government. Here's the basics on how Council governs:
How is City Council elected?
Every two years, Albany voters elect at least one councilor from their ward and a mayor to the City Council, Albany’s legislative branch of government.
What is a ward?
The city of Albany is split into three areas of similar population called wards. You can use the search box in the map below to find your ward.
What does the City Council do?
- Conducts public hearings
- Sets laws (ordinances) and policies (resolutions)
- Adopts a balanced budget
- Levies taxes, sets fees, and approves franchise agreements
- Appoints the City Manager to carry out Council directives
- (Known as the Council-Manager form of government)
- Appoints the Municipal Court Judge
- Appoints members to citizen advisory groups
There are 3 types of meetings...
| Meeting | Day/Time | Purpose | Open to the public? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Work Sessions | Mondays 4pm |
Discussion and deliberation | Yes |
| Regular Session | Wednesdays 6pm |
Action and decision-making | Yes |
| Executive Session | as needed | Discussion only; no action may be taken in executive session. | No, ORS 192.660 protects discussion about privledged matters such as personnel, labor or property negotiations, and pending litigation. |
When are meetings?
The City Charter requires that the Council hold at least two regular meetings per month. You can find a complete calendar of public meetings on our website at cityofalbany.net/calendar.
Upcoming meetings
City Council Work Session
Monday, October 20, 2025, 4:00pm
Council Chambers, City Hall
City Council Meeting
Wednesday, October 22, 2025, 6:00pm
Council Chambers, City Hall
City Council Work Session
Monday, November 3, 2025, 4:00pm
Council Chambers, City Hall
City Council Meeting
Wednesday, November 5, 2025, 6:00pm
Council Chambers, City Hall
Four members of the Council must be present at a meeting to take any final action. This is known as a quorum.
The Mayor presides over Council meetings. The Mayor can only vote in case of a tie.
How can you make your voice heard?
During Public Comment:
Most meetings include an agenda item called Public Comment. You may sign up to speak online ahead of time or at the meeting in-person.
The mayor then calls on those signed up to give brief remarks up to three minutes. The Council will listen. Councilors may choose to address public comments during Business from the Council.
Remarks may also be submitted in writing to the City Clerk for distribution to the council. For more information, click here.
During public hearings:
Public hearings are held for certain issues before the council such as land use, property sale and other matters. Some public hearings have specific rules of testimony, which are read at the beginning of the hearing.
Contact your councilors or the mayor:
You can find email and phone contacts for your councilors and the mayor at cityofalbany.net/council.
Councilors may choose to bring your concerns to the attention of the entire council during the meeting. Councilors may also attend outreach events held throughout the year.
Serve on a citizen advisory group or task force:
Over 100 positions are available on citizen advisory groups that recommend action to the council on topics including art, transportation access and safety, land use policy, parks, and much more.
Vacancies are filled year-round, with an annual recruitment during November and December for January appointment. More details are available at council.cityofalbany.net/groups.
- Details
Public Comment
Public Comment
Public Comment is a time for Albany residents to speak and for councilors to listen. The council won’t discuss topics or make decisions during this agenda item, but will take comments or requests under advisement. Public Comment is not required by Oregon law and may not be scheduled on every agenda.
- Speakers are limited to three minutes and must follow the council’s rules and observe the same standards of decorum. Speakers unable to do so will be asked to step down and take a seat in the audience for the rest of the meeting.
- If you are speaking in person, use the sign-up sheet on the table just inside Council Chambers. When you are called on to speak, sit at the table before you start speaking. Use the microphone to state your name clearly and whether you live and/or work in Albany.
- If you are submitting written comments or registering to speak remotely, use the Public Comment button on the Meeting Materials page before noon on the day of the meeting. Please note that any materials submitted will be part of the public record.
- If you are participating remotely, please see additional rules in our Code of Conduct.
- Screen sharing is not allowed during public comment.
Public Hearings
Public Hearings
If you want to provide testimony during public hearings, you may:
- Email written comments to the staff contact, listed in the agenda or public notice, including your name and subject of the public hearing, before noon on the day of the meeting.
- Testify virtually during the public hearing by emailing the staff contact, listed in the agenda or public notice, before noon on the day of the meeting, with your name, phone number, and if you are speaking for, against, or neutral on the project/subject. The mayor will call upon those who have registered to speak.
- Appear in person at the meeting and register to speak using the signup sheet on the table.
- Details
The following protocols were developed at an Albany City Council training session held on January 16, 2018. They are intended to set expectations for members of the Albany council and provide a model to guide the conduct and working relationships of council members. While some protocols relate specifically to council meetings, others are meant to apply broadly to the full scope of council members’ official interactions. The list is not intended to be exhaustive, and may be augmented or amended by future action of the council.
Respect
Council members agree to use respectful speech and positive body language when interacting with each other, staff, and the public, and will follow meeting procedures/protocols as established by the council.
Civility
Council members agree to demonstrate civility in their professional interactions, both within and outside of the City organization. Comments during meetings will remain thoughtful and measured, avoiding exaggerated, provocative, or personal remarks.
Compromise
Open-mindedness and active listening will be practiced by council members during deliberations in an effort to pursue compromise whenever possible.
Tolerance
Council members will endeavor to respectfully ‘agree to disagree’ in the event compromise is not possible.
Brevity
Council members will ensure their comments during meetings are succinct and relevant to the topic at hand.
Public unity
Out of respect for the institution and the process through which policy is made, council members will refrain from publicly denigrating council decisions once they are made.
Mayor’s role
Council members recognize that the mayor’s position requires balancing the important roles of facilitating meetings and contributing policy perspectives.
Liaison role
Council members serving as City liaisons to external boards, commissions, committees, and organizations will be responsible for sharing important news and pertinent developments with the council at regular meetings.
Communications with staff
Council members will keep the city manager informed of communications they may have with staff, including copying the city manager on any emails to staff.
- Details
- J.C. Powell (1865)
- E.F. Russell (1866-1867)
- Jacob Norcross (1868)
- A.W. Stanard (1869-1870)
- N.H. Cranor (1871)
- A.W. Sweeney (1872)
- Collins Van Cleve (1873)
- Martin V. Brown (1874)
- David Froman (1875)
- N.B. Humphrey (1876)
- Allen Parker (1877)
- Jason Wheeler (1878)
- Thomas Monteith (1878)
- D.G. Clark (1880)
- David Froman (1881)
- Ira C. Dickey (1882)
- Walter M. Ketchum (1883)
- John Lindsey Hill (1884)
- Walter M. Ketchum (1885)
- J.K. Weatherford (1886-1887)
- J.L. Cowan (1888-1893)
- L. Flinn (1894-1895)
- C.G. Burkhart (1896-1899)
- W.H. David (1900-1905)
- J.P. Wallace (1906-1911)
- P.D. Gilbert (1912-1913)
- L.M. Curl (1914-1920)
- P.A. Young (1921-1924)
- J.H. Robnett (1925-1926)
- Mark Weatherford (1927-1928)
- V.L. Calavan (1929-1932)
- W.L. Jackson (1933-1936)
- Charles Ashton (1937-1939)
- A.G. Senders (1939-1942)
- G.C. Knodell (1943-1946)
- Ralph Banton (1947-1948)
- Jess Savage (1949-1950)
- Lyle M. Bain (1951-1952)
- Charles K. McCormack (1953-1956)
- William L. Fitzpatrick (1957-1962)
- Larry D. Roth (1963-1964)
- Russell W. Tripp (1965-1970)
- Donald R. Catt (1971-1972)
- Platt Davis (1973-1974)
- David C. Hayes (1975-1976)
- Leonard Roche (1977-1978)
- Richard Olsen (1979-1980)
- Donald Brudvig (1981-1984)
- Tom Holman (1985-1988)
- Keith J. Rohrbough (1989-1992)
- Eugene Belhumeur (1993-1994)
- Charles A. McLaran (1995-2006)
- Doug Killin (2007)
- Dan Bedore (2008)
- Sharon Konopa (2009-2020)
- Alex Johnson II (2021-present)
- Details
The Mayor and the Oregon Mayors Association invite you to enter the "If I Were Mayor..." Contest each year to share your creative ideas about what you would do as mayor. Albany winners win local prizes and are entered into the state contest for a chance to win a prize worth $500!
How to enter:
- Review the contest rules: English | Spanish
- Create your submission (4-5th grades: poster, 6-8th grades: essay, 9-12th grades: video)
- Download and complete an official entry form
- Submit your completed entry:
Apply next year! Contest details will be available in Fall 2025.
Do your research:
- Learn more about what a Mayor does...English | Spanish
- Learn what typical services Oregon cities provide... English | Spanish
- Get inspiration from winning entries from previous years at oregonmayors.org
Judging:
Judging of the local contest will be conducted by city officials or other persons appointed by the mayor. Albany winners will be announced in April and statewide winners will be announced by OMA in May. 
A panel of Oregon mayors judges the statewide entries. First place statewide winners and their family will be recognized at the OMA Summer Conference in August.
Questions?
Past winners
2024-2025
In our fourth year of our local contest, Ashmi was our Albany middle school winner for her essay, and our elementary winner, Alice, won for her poster.
2023-2024
Albany students continued their winning ways in the 2023-2024 school year. Chelsey was our Albany middle school winner for her essay. Our elementary winner Reagan won 3rd place statewide for her poster and Hadley won 1st place statewide for her video.
2022-2023
In addition to being the local Albany winners for the 2022-2023 school year, Noah won 1st place statewide for his poster and Jacella won 2nd place statewide for her video.
2021-2022
For our first Albany contest in the 2021-2022 school year, 4th and 5th grade students from all nine Albany elementary schools and eleven essays were submitted. Brynlee was the winner of our Albany poster contest and our local middle school winner, Mikayla, went on to win 3rd place statewide!
- Details
